He had done it so many times on the New Orleans Arena floor
that perhaps David West drew on some form of muscle memory in the second half
of Saturday night's stunning 81-75 Indiana Pacers victory over the New Orleans
Hornets.

West, who left the Hornets after eight years prior to last
season to test the free-agent waters, scored 20 second-half points Saturday
night, helping Indiana erase what had been a 22-point New Orleans advantage,
sending the reeling Hornets to their 11th straight defeat.

West was just 2 of 9 from the field in the first half as the
Pacers were held to just 26 points. He finished the game 11 of 20 and had 12
points in a crushing third quarter in which Indiana
outscored New Orleans
24-7.

"As a group, we felt like we had to get our legs back," West
said. "We came out struggling in the first half, but I thought the team did a
good job of just gaining our composure and getting a little more focused
defensively. Offensively, we started making some shots.

Indiana Pacers power forward David West (21) celebrates a point in a basketball game between the New Orleans Hornets and Indiana Pacers at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.
(Photo by Matthew Hinton, NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune)

"You know, I felt like I was rushing a little bit in the
first half. I just got my legs under me and was able to be composed on my
shots. Guys did a good job of finding me and ultimately we did a good job
getting stops, giving ourselves opportunities to get some points."

West was no match for Hornets rookie Anthony Davis, who was
at time overpowered by West's strength.

"He's a tough player," Davis
said. "He uses his hands a lot and is very physical. He can get to wherever he
wants on the floor. He can shoot the ball, take it to the basket. Rebound. He's
a great player."

Hornets Coach Monty Williams said his team "had a plan to take him out. It
wasn't executed properly. That's one of those situations where A.D. played good
defense, but David hit some tough shots. He shot rainbows tonight and they went
in. There were guys at the top of the key that should have gone to double-team.
It's a lack of execution. David took what we gave him and that's why he's as
good as he is."

But West said his fall-back plan, so to speak, was to shoot
fadeaways to counteract the 6-foot-11 Davis' length.

"That's like the equalizer in terms of getting rid of his
length," West said. "He's a long, springy kid. I just tried to hit him first,
get him off balance and make him react second."